Hours & Directions

Venues

Richard L. Spees Building

The Spees Building is the grand entrance to Chabot Space & Science Center, with a circular drive and elegant rotunda. You can rent any or all of the three levels, with fascinating and fun exhibit areas for your guests to explore. The entire building can accommodate up to 500 guests for a standing reception and 350 guests for seated dining, divided between the upper and main floors.

ENTIRE SPEES BUILDING
Our largest events take over our grand entryway building which includes the Lower Level, the First Level with Rotunda and Café Area, and the Second Level along with the Loggia & Sky Bridge. Here your guests can explore the majority of our exhibitions and stroll our balcony high in the Redwoods. All the world's a stage, and rousing speeches and heartfelt toasts will soar throughout space.

LOWER LEVEL: Touch the Sun
Ideal for a meet-and-greet and cocktail party, a small seated dinner or private meeting space, the Lower Level of Spees is a charming area surrounded by gorgeous images of our Touch the Sun exhibition. The space can also be used as an elegant bridal suite or groom’s room for your preparations before the ceremony.

FIRST LEVEL
Great for receiving guests, dancing and live entertainment, this space includes the Rotunda topped by a skylight that radiates sunlight and moonlight in the evening. Our Destination Universe exhibition invites guests to engage in fascinating interactives and digital media displays about the wonders of our universe.

SECOND LEVEL
Our second level includes a series of dramatic settings with various views of the redwoods, skyline and hilltops the can be enjoyed from our Loggia. The Upper Rotunda, Mezzanine and Loggia all provide space for dinner tables and buffet stations. Your guests will have a ball in our Beyond Blastoff exhibition and you can offer cocktails and appetizers in an elegant space-themed room they won't soon forget.

CAFÉ AREA
Wall-to-wall windows encircle your guests here as you sit within a coronal mass ejection from the Sun. The ancient trees stand outside in silent salute to your event. Circular tables with accompanying chairs are already located in this space and are included with the rental, should you choose.

Pleiades Courtyard

This multifaceted outdoor space is perfect alone or as an add–on to one of our buildings. Located between the Spees and the Dellums Buildings, the Courtyard Tent, Amphitheater and the EnviroGarden are joined by the wide open space of the Pleiades Courtyard. This location is perfect as an informal presentation space or a lovely outdoor setting for special events such as weddings, anniversaries, family reunions, and corporate or client appreciation dinners.

COURTYARD TENT
Set just outside our Café Area, the Courtyard Tent is an outdoor, covered space complete with circular tables and accompanying chairs that are included with the rental.

AMPHITHEATER
This open-air amphitheater offers is an ideal location for listening to live music, theater, or a unique presentation. It also serves as a romantic ceremony location for outdoor weddings.

ENVIROGARDEN
The EnviroGarden is a multi-tiered area that lends itself to a variety of options - from a dining space with tables, to a conference space for booth set-up.

Observatory Complex

Located next to the Dellums Building, this space houses Chabot’s iconic telescope domes. With the help of one of our expert astronomers, you and your guests can explore the magnificent night sky and discover stars, planets and colorful nebulae visible through our 8” and 20” refractor telescopes and our 36” reflector telescope.

This is an ideal location for a smaller wedding ceremony and reception, or a lovely cap to the end of a business retreat or special event. Rental of this space includes a 2-hour Private Telescope viewing for you and your guests.**

** Must be dark for viewing and weather permitted

Meeting Rooms

On the second level, this building offers private rooms we fondly call Galileo, Kepler, and Copernicus, and our Hauben Resource Center - perfect for meetings, luncheons, private rehearsal dinners, a bridal suite or groom's lounge, or even a childcare room for the day of the event. Each is fully equipped with AV capabilities, overhead LCD projectors, drop down screens and dimmable lighting; an ideal retreat for a slideshow or movie presentation when young guests are tired from dancing! Rooms come with round tables and chairs and can be set up in theater (semicircle), classroom (straight rows) or any variety of configurations.

Theaters

PLANETARIUM
Located inside the Spees Building, this space boasts the most advanced state-of-the-art digital full dome planetarium in the western United States. Under the 70-foot diameter dome you can treat your guests to a private 30 - 45 minute planetarium show from our collection, use the dome to project your own slideshow or presentation, or have a perfect ceremony under the stars no matter what time of year.

TIEN MEGADOME THEATER
Directly across from the Planetarium, the MegaDome Theater features a 60-foot diameter giant screen. This space can be rented alone for a special lecture or business presentation, or your guests can hold onto their seats if you choose to treat them to a private screening of one of our larger–than–life movies. Customize your own experience by playing your favorite movie on High-Definition Blu-Ray or DVD. You can even rent the auditorium to play video games on a massive scale!